This paper presents a summary of the plenary talk discussing the emerging need for unmanned aircraft, recent advances in nonlinear control methods for aircraft, and recent flight test programs involving the demonstration of advanced nonlinear control technologies. Topics presented include: neural adaptive control and flight testing on the X-36; adaptive formation flight control for close formation flight; and flight testing of the X-45A Joint-Unmanned Combat Air System. Unmanned aircraft were in development in the late 1800's as test aircraft as a prelude for manned flight. The timeline shown in Figure 1, taken from (Hirschberg, 2003), illustrates the development of military unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). Langley's Aerodrome aircraft No. 5 and No. 6 had first flights in May and November 1896, respectively, and were the first UAVs. After a hundred years of manned flight we are back to developing UAVs. Today military UAVs are being designed as force enablers for manned systems in order to increase the overall effectiveness of the combined systems. Potential benefits from UAVs include improved efficiency & effectiveness through enhanced survivability in high threat areas, reduced risk to aircrews, and overall reduction in costs for the total airframe and support systems. Missions include precision engagement, electronic attack, and battlespace awareness. Control systems in UAVs play a critical role for safe and dependable flight operations. Inner loop flight control algorithms provide stability and control of the aircraft, while outer-loop guidance algorithms generate steering commands for mission execution. To provide the ability to adapt to unknown failures and damage, nonlinear adaptive control methods are being investigated for both inner loop and outer-loop applications. Adaptive control algorithms are also being employed for close formation flight where system dynamics are highly nonlinear and uncertain. The remainder of this paper will discuss the application of nonlinear adaptive control for reconfiguration, close formation flight, and will discuss the flight testing of these approaches, as well as discuss the recent flight testing of the Boeing X- 45A Joint-Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS).
Unmanned aircraft: the future in military aviation
Unbemanntes Flugzeug: die Zukunft der militärischen Luftfahrt
2004
7 Seiten, 8 Bilder, 7 Quellen
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Datenträger
Englisch
UNMANNED AIRCRAFT: THE FUTURE IN MILITARY AVIATION
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